Strip Run Turned Brown
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 6:44 pm
I stripped a batch of SCOD’s neutral wash the other day. I ran it through my modular flute in pot mode. I pulled the plates and had all 5 cans in the tower enough for the shotgun to sit high enough to properly fill my jars. The wash had been sitting around for a few weeks and had cleared well. The boiler was filled with about 12 gallons of wash and I ran it full tilt for the whole of the run. The distillate came out clear, but a yeasty smell pulled through.
I typically collect 200ml in mason jars. I did that this time as well, mostly to stick to my standard procedure. I know that I didn’t really need to worry about it on the stripping run but I like to be consistent. I tossed the fores and dumped the rest in two large pickle jars (I usually use these to store tails - the inside of the lids have PTFE inserts) with a little bit of soda ash. I usually put the soda ash in the boiler but tossed it in the pickle jars so that I wouldn’t forget to do it. I tossed in double what I would normally use, as this run will be combined with a run from last week for the spirit run. I didn’t think that leaving it overnight would cause too much trouble.
I came out the next day and both jars have turned a light golden brown. I ran them through a coffee filter to remove the soda ash and to see if there was any particulate matter in there. The only thing I got in the filter was the soda ash. The coffee filters were not discolored after use. The distillate was still brown. It is now darker than the wash. I’m stumped. I don't know why the pic is sideways. It was the right way up when I took it. Also the weird blur in the middle it the back of the tape I use to label things.
I’ve been doing this a while and have never had anything like this happen before. I though that maybe it was some kind of weird puke. I rarely run the element full out on a run. The thing is that I run a 2” to 4” conical connector from the boiler to the base of the flute and there is about 3 feet of vertical rise before the bend to the condenser. I know that washes foam more than mashes, but that would need to be quite the puke. Admittedly I was not looking through the site glasses as I had pulled the plates, so it is possible that it foamed up and puked and I didn’t notice. The stream out of the condenser never really wavered. I got a little concerned that I was pushing too hard and dropped the heat a little about half way through. I collected pretty far down into the tails as I was planning to re-distill the whole thing the next day anyway (hence the soda ash).
I've only made this wash one other time, but it worked well and was probably the cleanest neutral I have ever run. The last run also had a slight yeasty smell that didn't carry over much after the spirit run. The wash fermented clean and I didn't note any issues during the ferment.
Any ideas as to what may have caused this? Also do you think it will be safe to add it to the spirit run?
I typically collect 200ml in mason jars. I did that this time as well, mostly to stick to my standard procedure. I know that I didn’t really need to worry about it on the stripping run but I like to be consistent. I tossed the fores and dumped the rest in two large pickle jars (I usually use these to store tails - the inside of the lids have PTFE inserts) with a little bit of soda ash. I usually put the soda ash in the boiler but tossed it in the pickle jars so that I wouldn’t forget to do it. I tossed in double what I would normally use, as this run will be combined with a run from last week for the spirit run. I didn’t think that leaving it overnight would cause too much trouble.
I came out the next day and both jars have turned a light golden brown. I ran them through a coffee filter to remove the soda ash and to see if there was any particulate matter in there. The only thing I got in the filter was the soda ash. The coffee filters were not discolored after use. The distillate was still brown. It is now darker than the wash. I’m stumped. I don't know why the pic is sideways. It was the right way up when I took it. Also the weird blur in the middle it the back of the tape I use to label things.
I’ve been doing this a while and have never had anything like this happen before. I though that maybe it was some kind of weird puke. I rarely run the element full out on a run. The thing is that I run a 2” to 4” conical connector from the boiler to the base of the flute and there is about 3 feet of vertical rise before the bend to the condenser. I know that washes foam more than mashes, but that would need to be quite the puke. Admittedly I was not looking through the site glasses as I had pulled the plates, so it is possible that it foamed up and puked and I didn’t notice. The stream out of the condenser never really wavered. I got a little concerned that I was pushing too hard and dropped the heat a little about half way through. I collected pretty far down into the tails as I was planning to re-distill the whole thing the next day anyway (hence the soda ash).
I've only made this wash one other time, but it worked well and was probably the cleanest neutral I have ever run. The last run also had a slight yeasty smell that didn't carry over much after the spirit run. The wash fermented clean and I didn't note any issues during the ferment.
Any ideas as to what may have caused this? Also do you think it will be safe to add it to the spirit run?